From “European cultural heritage” to Portugal’s transition to democracy, EU leaders share their top picks with POLITICO.
Gabriel Gavin
The song that “moves me the most,” the German politician went on, “is ‘Ne partez pas sans moi’ by Céline Dion, which won [for Switzerland] in 1988. What a voice, what emotion.” And, from the more recent entries, “I think the energy in ‘Euphoria’ by Loreen in 2012 is unmatched!” The song won for Sweden, and Loreen went on to win the contest again in 2023.
A spokesperson for European Council President António Costa said that his favorite Eurovision entry is Portugal’s 1974 chanson “E depois do adeus” by Paulo de Carvalho. While the song failed to win the contest, it became the anthem for the Carnation Revolution just three weeks later, ushering in the country’s democratic transition.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas did not respond to a request for their favorite Eurovision songs.
Following the fall of the Iron Curtain, the participation of the Baltic states, Poland and Ukraine in Eurovision has been seen as a symbol of the continent’s unity. Kyiv’s 2016 entry, “1944” by Jamala, won the contest with lyrics in the Crimean Tatar language testifying to the Stalin-era deportation of her great-grandmother from the peninsula, illegally occupied by Russia since 2014.
Eurovision is traditionally marked by parties and viewings hosted by Brussels’ diplomatic corps — last year, for example, the incoming Danish presidency of the Council of the EU threw a joint reception with the embassy of Switzerland. This year, however, is a more muted affair.
Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia declared they would boycott the competition over the continued inclusion of Israel, which is represented this year by Noam Bettan. Brussels hosted a “United for Palestine” event on Tuesday that was billed as an alternative to Eurovision.
